The present invention has for its objective the combining of three previously-known devices used by guitarists to obtain desirable effects while using the instrument. In combining the three devices into a unified guitar attachment, the functional capability of each previous separate device is retained, and additional unique effects are realized through use of the attachment forming the subject matter of this invention.
Furthermore, the guitar attachment according to this invention is much more convenient to use and has greater versatility of usage than known prior art devices. Its use and its location on the body of the guitar allows the maintaining of an unobstructed fretboard, so that the guitar player can fret notes and chords which he or she would be unable to fret when using conventional equipment.
In the prior art, a conventional capo is clamped to the neck of the guitar across the fretboard at the desired fret. This results in a change of key by shortening the effective lengths of the guitar strings. A conventional capo is cumbersome and cannot easily be relocated or removed during play. Another disadvantage of the conventional capo overcome by the present invention is that notes and chords cannot be fretted behind it. The capo-tremolo-slide forming the essence of this invention will shorten the strings and produce the key change at the body of the guitar instead of along its neck. This allows the player to change keys swiftly without interrupting play. The device in its totality is simpler and much more convenient to use than the three separate devices which it replaces.
A conventional tremelo device, in essence, is a bar held in the palm of the hand while strumming and picking guitar strings. The tremolo device wavers the pitch of the guitar. By pushing the capo-tremolo-slide down against the guitar strings, the player is able to obtain the same effect realized by the hand-held tremolo device.
A combined capo-tremolo effect never available to guitar players previously is obtained by pushing down on the spring tension slide and moving the slide forwardly or rearwardly along the strings.
A conventional slide, the third separate device replaced by the invention, is placed on the finger of the player and moved up and down the neck of the guitar. This device is limited by the fact that all notes that slide must be parallel to one another. By means of the present invention, the sliding action is carried out at the body of the guitar and not along its neck. This removes the slide from the finger of the player, and no longer limits him to sliding only these notes which are parallel.
Another effect unique to the invention is obtained by moving the slide to a forward position and picking the strings behind it.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art during the course of the following description.